


Fistfuls of Data

by swimmingwolf59



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Episode: s06e08 A Fistful of Datas, Humor, Kissing, M/M, Western shenanigans, look this is really silly don’t come in here expecting anything else lol, love poetry, playfighting, we all know worf gets horny from fighting let’s be real
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:08:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27057721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swimmingwolf59/pseuds/swimmingwolf59
Summary: Worf has to properly kiss Data to end the gone-awry Western program. Afterwards, he can’t stop thinking about it.
Relationships: Data/Worf (Star Trek)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	Fistfuls of Data

**Author's Note:**

> I believe next gen robbed us of two things:  
> 1\. Worf kissing Data on the lips to end the holodeck program in Fistful of Datas  
> 2\. Worf writing love poetry, as Klingon men supposedly do  
> I am here to deliver

“Sherriff, you’re as handy with a shootin’ iron as you are with a woman’s heart,” Data sighed dreamily.

Worf, gawking up at him, felt like his soul had left his body. _I-I have to…_

He watched Data—one of the Datas, the one with the frilly dress and lipstick smeared all over his metallic lips—bound down the stairs and wondered just what his son had gotten him into. All of the other Datas they had had to face thus far had been challenging, and worrisome considering what Data was physically capable of, but somehow it was the one in the dress cheerily approaching him that made Worf’s knees shake.

“Computer, end program!” he barked desperately as Data hurried towards him. “ _Now!_ ”

The computer did not end the program, and Worf found himself frozen as Data stepped into his personal space. He had a rather startling affectionate look on his face as he placed his hands on the back of Worf’s head and pulled him into a heated kiss.

His lips were warmer than Worf had expected, and— _no he was not thinking about his superior officer’s lips right now._ Just, no. He did not think about how his lips were even soft, not like metal at all, but something else, something pliable. He did not think about how this gave his lips a unique flexibility, one that was quite pleasurable for kissing. He did not think about how Data was not currently crushing his mouth, but kissing him at an intense but tolerable pressure, and how that must mean he had learned to kiss somewhere before.

He did think about how Deanna was watching them.

Worf pushed Data away by the shoulders, ending the kiss as soon as possible. He was grateful that his dark complexion hid the heat in his cheeks.

_I just kissed Data._

The world crumbled around them and was replaced by the black and yellow walls of the holodeck. Worf breathed a huge sigh of relief, and exchanged a bewildered glance with Deanna. There was a thought creeping on him, but he did his best to squash it down into the depths of his brain.

It was only later, when he was standing with Data in the turbolift several days after The Incident, that it came back:

_I kissed Data, and I didn’t hate it._

“I am glad you are uninjured,” Data said, seemingly out of the blue.

Worf blinked at him. “Commander?”

“The Counselor informed me that nearly every character in your holodeck program was replaced with my image, and that they all had my strength and skills. I am relieved that neither you, your son, or the Counselor were injured.”

“Oh.” Worf straightened his back. “It was certainly a challenge, but I prevailed.”

Data hummed, a response Worf was unable to determine the meaning of.

“Do you remember being on the holodeck?” Worf asked, stubbornly staring forward at the turbolift door. “Do you remember being all of the characters?”

“No. I have no memory of that, or the Earth American Southern accent I supposedly developed that day.”

“Then you do not remember—” Worf stopped before he could embarrass himself. Of course Data didn’t remember, so what was the point in bringing it up? It would be best to just forget all about it.

Data tilted his head. “Are you referring to the kiss we shared?”

Worf whirled around so quickly he knocked his shoulder into the wall of the turbolift. “I thought you said you didn’t remember anything!”

“I do not. The Counselor informed me that I was also the female bartender you had to kiss to end the program.”

Worf just stared at him for a moment before turning away again, shocked. He couldn’t believe that Deanna would betray him like this; if he did not care for her so much, he would—

“Worf?” Data bent down a little, trying to meet his averted gaze. “Are you alright?”

“…I am fine,” Worf grumbled, turning further away.

“Are you bothered by the kiss?”

“…No, it is of no matter,” Worf said, straightening his back. “It was a necessary act, with merely a soulless copy of yourself.”

Data hummed again, and Worf suddenly felt like shaking him to force a coherent response from him. He both wanted and didn’t want to know what Data had thought when Deanna had told him about the kiss. He probably thought nothing of it, and so Worf would also think nothing of it.

The turbolift finally reached his floor, and he stepped off in relief. “Good _day_ , Commander.”

He didn’t wait around for Data’s response.

“Father!” Alexander rushed to him as soon as he stepped into their quarters. He had his cowboy getup on again, hat and all. “Can we try my Western program again, now that it’s not broken?”

Worf sighed. The last thing he wanted to do was put himself in that situation again, but he supposed it _had_ been good training. “Very well.”

Alexander beamed, grabbed his hand, and dragged him out of their quarters.

\--

The characters were not Data this time, and Worf didn’t want to think about why this disappointed him.

He and Alexander completed the program easily and without incident. Alexander seemed pleased, but it left Worf feeling restless. Even with the difficulty level increased, there was something missing from the program, some challenge that Worf craved.

It was for this reason that he found himself inviting Data to their next holodeck Western adventure.

“Are you sure Alexander will not mind?” Data asked as he followed Worf to the holodeck. “The last experience in which I was his adversary was not…pleasant for him.”

“He assured me it would be fine, since it will actually be you this time,” Worf said.

Data brightened. “Then I look forward to it. I have never experienced a ‘Western’ before, though I did read all 139 American novels on the subject.”

“It was my first time experiencing it as well,” Worf said. “It is…good training.”

They entered the holodeck to find the program already running. Alexander and Deanna were waiting for them in the deserted street of the fictional town. With a nod, Data separated from Worf and followed Deanna to another part of the town. Though Worf was still playing the sheriff, Alexander the deputy, and Data was for real playing Hollander, Deanna had decided to be Data’s back-up to even the playing field. Not that he needed it, but it was better practice for Alexander to have his own enemy rather than just watching Worf fight, or for the three of them to gang up on Data.

So Worf and Alexander once again arrested Data’s ‘son’, but instead of Alexander getting kidnapped, Data and Deanna confronted them in the street in a different version of the shoot-off. Worf and Alexander advanced slowly, clasping their pistols tightly in their hands. Data and Deanna did the same, Deanna with her favorite rifle and Data with a pistol.

However, when they were five meters from each other, Data dropped the gun and darted forward instead, knocking Worf’s pistol out of his hand.

Worf’s heart beat harder. So, he wanted hand-to-hand combat, did he? Worf was more than willing. He glanced over to make sure Alexander was holding his own, and then swung his fist at Data’s head.

Data ducked down and darted under Worf’s arm, dealing some quick blows to his chest. They weren’t enough to do any real damage, though they still stung. Grunting, Worf dodged the next blow and used Data’s momentum to flip him over. However, Data was quick to get back on his feet, and he brought his knee up into Worf’s stomach.

Despite this, Worf could tell that Data was holding back, and he grit his teeth. “Do not hold back.”

“I do not wish to harm you,” Data said, easily deflecting one of Worf’s blows.

_I want you to._

Worf growled. There was nothing to do but force him to go all out.

He circled around Data, crouched with his arms out, and then lunged forward. He dealt blow after blow, all of which Data blocked, but Data couldn’t attack himself while continuously defending. Worf aimed for his head and chest in randomized patterns so Data wouldn’t predict his next move, and actually managed to push him back a bit.

“You are a skilled fighter, Worf,” Data said.

“As are you, Commander,” Worf replied. “What will you do next?”

Data cocked his head to the side as he considered his words. Worf went in for another blow, but this time Data grabbed his wrist to stop him and then shoved him back against the wall. Worf’s breath left him in a pained gasp, and for a second he was stunned. When he could move his limbs again, he tightened his hands around Data’s arms and pulled, but Data refused to budge, easily keeping him pinned there as Worf struggled.

“Data,” Deanna’s amused voice came from somewhere. “We’re the bad guys, and the bad guys aren’t supposed to win.”

“…You are quite right, Counselor.” Data looked apologetically at Worf and then weakened his grasp.

Worf yanked his arm free and grabbed Data’s throat, shoving him down onto the ground. As he crouched over Data, breathing hard, Worf felt a guttural growl start in the back of his throat. His blood boiled in his veins, and he wanted nothing more than to dig his fingernails into Data’s skin, feel his pulse throbbing in his neck, and—

“Father!” Alexander shouted, galloping up to him. “We won, Father!”

Snapping out of it, Worf just stared at his son, a bit disoriented. “Yes… You fought well, Alexander.”

“You two were really getting into it over here,” Deanna said, smiling as she walked up to them. “For a moment, I forgot it was a staged fight.”

“It is…nice to be able to go all out against an opponent,” Worf said, finally getting up off of Data.

Data stood and brushed the dust off of his clothes. “I too valued the experience. Although perhaps next time we should try the gunfight.”

Worf whirled to face him, affronted. “Are you saying you did not find me a satisfactory hand-to-hand combat partner?”

Data blinked. “Not at all. In fact, quite the opposite. You are much more satisfying to brawl against than anyone else on the _Enterprise_. However, to truly experience what it is to be in a Western, I believe we were supposed to shoot at one another.”

“People beat each other up all the time in Westerns, though!” Alexander chimed in.

“And I’m sure missing on purpose wouldn’t be as much fun for you, Data,” Deanna said, placing a hand on his arm.

“That was my reasoning as well.” Data turned to Worf with a little smile. “I valued our spar much more.”

“Hand-to-hand combat is the true way of a warrior,” Worf said, straightening his shoulders. “But you will not have to let me win next time, Commander. I will gain victory against you.”

Data tilted his head. “I would be intrigued to see you make such an attempt.”

Worf bristled, but he knew Data well enough by now to know that he hadn’t meant it as an insult, so he let it slide.

They exited the holodeck, Deanna and Data discussing the nuances of Westerns as Worf trailed behind with a humming Alexander. Worf found himself watching Data. He was still a bit unsettled, his body taking longer than usual to calm down. Sparring always got his Klingon blood roaring, but it wasn’t usually like this. Even if it took him a bit to calm down after, it was usually only for a few minutes, and it wasn’t so…specific. But this time, he was still thinking about his hand on Data’s throat and Data’s body shoved against his long after the battle. And it wasn’t just that he wanted to fight again.

He wanted to fight _Data_ again.

It was strange. He had not felt this way since K’Ehleyr…

…Oh.

Damn.

\--

_I am a warrior, I am destined to fight_

_With you by my side, not even Kahless could survive against my might_

_With your skin like the moon that stirs me at night…_

Worf stopped typing, frustrated. He believed Klingon love poetry was the pinnacle of romance. He had read the poems his father had written for his mother, and found them to be elegant, powerful, and befitting of a warrior. Famous love poems from Klingons of the past stirred the same reactions within him. If he was a female, he would be honored to receive such moving prose.

But just because he admired it didn’t mean he was any good at it.

He struggled, to put it nicely, to put words to the feelings in his heart. Perhaps it was because there was still a part of him that felt ridiculous for falling in love with a machine.

But Data was much more than a machine – he knew that. He knew that well. He also knew that Data appreciated the arts, and would probably enjoy receiving a poem from him, regardless of its nature. The fact that it might not _mean_ anything to him, however, was a possibility that Worf wasn’t sure he could face.

Frowning, Worf returned to his computer. He was not a coward. He would finish the poem, deliver it to Data, and if it meant nothing to him…

Then that would be that. Either way, it would be over.

Worf stayed up all night working on it. By the time he had to get ready for his shift, he felt it was complete to the best of his abilities. Editing it any further would only ruin the heart he had put into it.

His shift was slow that day, which was bad for his exhausted state and for his nervousness. He had decided he would give Data the poem today, right after their shift, so that he did not spend any more time reconsidering his actions. He wanted Data to be his mate – there was no need to delay.

But the lack of duties gave him plenty of time to worry over it. It was unlikely that Data had ever considered him as a potential mate. He had told Worf about his failed relationship with Lieutenant D’Sora, and explained that his lack of emotions had been a deal breaker for her. Since then, Worf doubted that Data had even considered entering into another relationship, as there was nothing he could do about his lack of emotions.

And yet…Worf thought it could work between them. Excessive displays of affection were unsettling to him anyway, and it was not the Klingon way. Data was honorable, strong, and compassionate, despite his lack of emotions. He would be a fitting mate.

But perhaps Data wouldn’t see it that way. There was no need for him to take a mate, and Worf’s advances probably wouldn’t even make sense to him.

Worf shook his head to clear it.

It did not matter. He was giving him the poem, and then Data could decide what he wanted to do. It was cowardly to fear action because of only hypothetical problems.

Mind made up, Worf turned his attention back to his sensors.

\--

“Worf? Do you require my assistance?”

Worf jumped, whirling to face Data. It was after shift and he was standing in front of Data’s quarters, staring down at the PADD that he gripped as tightly as he would an enemy in his hands. He had been working up the courage to ring Data’s door chime, so much so that he hadn’t even realized that Data had apparently never been in his quarters at all.

“Commander,” Worf mumbled, trying to appear collected. “I wish to speak with you. Privately.”

Data nodded. “Then please, come in.”

Worf followed Data into his quarters, but only far enough so that the door shut behind him. Data started to enter the room with his desk in it before he stopped, realizing that Worf wasn’t behind him. He turned to face him, his head tilted to the side and a confused look on his face. “What did you wish to speak to me about?”

Worf let out a sigh, and then said uncomfortably, “It is less that I want to speak with you, and more that I wanted to give you…this.”

He broke eye contact as he stiffly held out the PADD. Data stepped forward to take it, still looking confused as he glanced down at it.

“I am familiar with Klingon mating rituals,” Data said, merely a second later. Worf had momentarily forgotten about the speed at which he could process information. “Am I correct in my assumption that this is a love poem?”

“…Yes.” Worf met his eyes uneasily. “…What do you think?”

“I think the rhyming method you used is very clever. While it does not match traditional Klingon styles, it has a certain—”

“I didn’t mean about the style,” Worf interrupted, frustrated. “What do you think about the content?”

Data tilted his head, a frown etching his features. “I find myself puzzled by the content. It was my understanding that love poetry is supposed to be read first by the person it is intended to. I have never heard of anyone asking a friend to read their love poem in advance.”

Ears burning, Worf glared holes into the floor. He could not say it. He felt foolish. Of course Data would not view him in this way – the possibility wouldn’t even _occur_ to him…

“…Unless it is intended for me,” Data continued, and it was almost a question.

“And if it was?” Worf barked, still not looking at him.

“Then I would have to remind you that I have no emotions, and thus no capability to love you back.”

Worf took a big, slow breath. He finally looked at Data, and found a blank, slightly confused face staring back at him. Somehow, the lack of emotion made it easier. “I do not believe that is true. While you may not have the capacity to feel love, you express your…affection in other ways. I have seen it with others. However, I would not fault you for not having any affection for me. If you wish, I will delete the poem and never speak of it again.”

Data’s eyebrows crinkled further. “Then you are serious?”

“I would not joke about this.”

Data considered this for a moment. While he was thinking, Worf’s eyes caught on the painting he was currently working on. It was half-done, but it seemed to be depicting their fight in the holodeck – Worf could easily tell that one of the figures was him, and he was wearing his cowboy hat. Data too was easily identified by his white skin and his fake moustache.

“You painted our Western duel,” Worf said, surprised.

“I found it remaining with me,” Data explained, suddenly standing next to him. “Geordi informed me that a romantic partner is someone you can have fun with. That is certainly true for us.”

Worf took a breath. “Data, you do not need to force yourself to return my sentiment. We shall just forget the whole thing.”

“I think about you,” Data continued, not hearing him, “even when we are not together. I wonder how you are faring. I am accustomed to your sensory input patterns, and I find myself desiring more of them when we are apart. I find you aesthetically pleasing. It is possible that I have considered you a potential romantic partner for some time without realizing.”

Worf turned to look at him. “…Then you wish to be my mate?”

“While the idea is appealing, my only other romantic attempt ended in failure,” Data said, meeting his eyes. “I do not wish to jeopardize our friendship in the likely case that I will fail again.”

“There is no dishonor in parting ways if a relationship is not working. Thus, there would be no hard feelings between us,” Worf said. “I believe it would be a greater dishonor not to make the attempt.”

Data tilted his head, a small smile growing on his face. “Then I shall start writing a subroutine immediately.”

Worf paused. “Lieutenant D’Sora told me about the program you enacted. I believe it may be…best if you remain how you are.”

“I will still need to write a subroutine, as I have never had a male or Klingon partner before. However, I will endeavor to keep my core personality the same.”

Worf struggled to find the right words. “Just…do not do any literature research this time. If you have questions, I will answer them.” 

“I will have many questions,” Data warned.

“I would expect no less.”

“I have also noticed that I tend to offend you with my observations. Will this be a problem?”

Worf sighed. “I know that you mean well—”

“Geordi has also told me I can be quite ‘oblivious’ at times—”

“Data,” Worf interrupted firmly, grabbing his shoulders. “I desire you as you are, regardless of any…quirks.”

Data jerkily placed his hands over Worf’s. “Then I would be honored to be your mate.”

Worf allowed himself a small smile, pleased. He had certainly not expected this when he had first come to see Data, but perhaps Data was right – they had been aware of one another in this way for a while now.

So he leaned forward, absolutely thinking of Data’s lips, and—

Began sneezing violently as a lithe figure entered the room and rubbed against his leg.

“Oh, Spot,” Data tsked, kneeling to pick up the cursed creature in his arms. She stared at Worf as Worf turned away, desperately trying to clear his sinuses. “My apologizes, Worf – I am aware of your allergies, but did not think to keep Spot in the other room. Perhaps Doctor Crusher could give you a hypo.”

“There is no need – I am a warrior. I am not bothered by this…feline,” Worf said stiffly, and then immediately started sneezing again.

Giving him a look, Data stroked Spot’s fur as he took her to the bedroom and shut the door behind her. Worf’s itchy nose ceased as soon as the door was shut, and he stubbornly looked somewhere slightly past Data as he returned to stand in front of him.

“Perhaps we should convene in your quarters until a long-term solution can be arranged,” Data said, a small smirk in the corner of his mouth.

“That is acceptable,” Worf said, huffing out a breath. Before Data could turn for the door, however, Worf grabbed his arm and, finally, leaned in to kiss him.

Data looked surprised for a moment, but then his eyes slid shut as he kissed Worf back. And though it was technically the same as the other kiss, Worf felt in his bones that it was different, better. This was the real Data, kissing him with intent, and the thought of it made something warm curl in Worf’s belly.

“I’ve been thinking about doing that for some time,” he admitted when they broke apart. “Ever since I shared a kiss with your lookalike on the holodeck.”

Data looked at him with something akin to amusement on his face. “Then should I grab my cowboy hat? Or perhaps a dress?”

“That will not be necessary,” Worf sighed, and kissed him again.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/kaoru_of_hakone/) !
> 
> I've also got an [out of context tng account](https://twitter.com/tngooc/) that's kinda abandoned lmao if anyone's interested


End file.
